Mercy: Day 8 – Teaching
Imagine if we had to grow up without anyone teaching us a thing. What if our parents did not teach us how to walk? Or if they did not teach us how to speak, or to eat with utensils, go to the bathroom, how to wash our hands afterwards, how to get dressed, comb our hair, brush our teeth. What might we have turned into?
What if we did not have someone to teach us how to read and write, how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. What if no one ever taught us at all, how would we know anything? How many times have you confronted something that you were ignorant of and felt overwhelmed and wished you had someone to walk you through the first time so you could learn how to do whatever it was you were trying to do? I know I have.
We are all born ignorant and all knowledge is acquired in one way or another. Given a proper education and we can live an erudite life, remain ignorant and an ignoble life is all we will find. Obtaining an education is not all easy especially without a teacher. Teaching is one of the noblest of all callings that I can think of. The transmission of knowledge from teacher to student is scared whether the knowledge itself is sacred or secular. It is an intimate relationship, one that fosters communication between student and teacher. A student cannot learn, no matter how great the thirst for knowledge is without a teacher willing to give what he or she knows. A teacher cannot instruct a person who does not come asking to be taught.
The teacher has contained within his or her heart wisdom of immense worth that can only be given to those who appreciate it, desire it and in the end honor it by teaching it to others as well. Give it to those who do not want it, care not about it and toss it aside as if it was a trifle and it would be as if one gave pigs pearls. They know not what they have and trample over them and soil them in filth.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, came as both a teacher and as a Mercy to all of the worlds. The mercy afforded to those who are taught by a teacher is unfathomable. There is no measure to the depth of mercy and benefit the one acquires from the teacher. Teaching is one of our greatest mercies bestowed upon us. How unfortunate that we do not honor the teacher in our day and age. Perhaps that is an indication to the lack of mercy that exists in the our world today. Maybe all we need in the world is the impression of a teacher to bring Mercy back into the world. We should ponder on that.
Impressions
Till Tomorrow, Peace.
